Hellfire Sun
by The Forest Pyro
Summary: With the events of OoT just ending, Link has disappeared from Hyrule. A Gerudo girl in need of adventure, a hot headed Hylian boy in need of power, will these two be the next unlikely heroes? Or will their fiery tempers get the better of them?
1. New weapons

Author's note: Hi everyone, not much to say really apart from this is a joint fic written by Yusuke343 and Forest Girl Kaz. Hope you enjoy! Oh and the rule line doesn't seem to be working so to seperate major scene changes we'll be using '-' for now.

Disclaimer: We don't own Zelda but we do own any characters/places we make up.

-

Dark clouds of thick smoke rose above the sky of Hyrule market. Screams of innocent shoppers rang out throughout the area as a sea of flames engulfed anything in its path. Guards ran this way and that gathering the remaining people and herding them to safety. A shadowy figure in a dark blue cloak ran down the back alley, with a jump, it flew off into the air.

The King stood looking through one of the castle windows, shaking his head in dismay he turned to his most loyal servant and Zelda's attendant; Impa.

"I thought Hyrule was at peace at last after that Gerudo king nearly destroyed our land." Zelda had finally been able to persuade her father that Ganondorf had indeed been evil, he may not remember the lost years but he did believe in what his daughter told him.

"And now with Link nowhere in sight…" Impa folded her arms deep in thought. "Something needs to be done Majesty."

Zelda stood eavesdropping outside the door. She knew things weren't right and now with Link off on his own quest someone else needed to take his place. But who? And how could they find this person?

-

The sun blazed down upon the Desert Colossus. A young girl around the age of fifteen - sixteen could be seen attempting to actually climb the side of the sacred Spirit Temple. She was a Gerudo, shoulder length red hair clung to her tanned face, yellow eyes staring at her goal. Her cream trousers and matching top made her stand out like a sore thumb against the dark temple walls but it didn't bother her much. Clasping at another foothold she gasped when she missed, slipping a few inches she managed to cling onto another. If it weren't for her metal gauntlets she was sure her hands would be covered in blisters by now. Finally reaching the top, she stood for a second wiping the sweat from her brow. Turning around the view made her dizzy, the ground was so far away. Shrugging it off, she entered.

Yes this was the room she wanted, the hidden room higher than the rest. Entering through the main entrance would have been too risky and taken much longer, but this was perfect. Glancing around the ancient room, she spotted what she was looking for. An old door, small carvings were neatly engraved into its frame. This was the good part, the bad part was that an iron knuckle was placed right in front of it.

"I knew something like this would pop up." She smirked, reaching for her belt she brought of the scythe she had been carrying. Even though she had only just began learning how to use it, she felt confident enough. "Let's rumble." Running at the knuckle she whacked it with the butt of the sword to awaken it. An angry roar echoed around the room, bits of the ceiling started to crumble, this guy was a vicious one. Swinging its axe in the Gerudo's direction it narrowly missed her as she ducked. Leaping to her feet she parried behind it, swiping the scythe she managed to land a blow. The knuckle turned awkwardly, attempting to hit the girl again it ended up hitting one of the pillars holding up the roof. Rubble tumbled down all over the startled teenager, moving out of the way she launched a series of stabs, each quicker than the last. Getting most of her attacks blocked, she was beginning to lose hope, noticing the knuckle was about to raise its axe she sent her blade in forcefully. The knuckle stumbled back in pain, dropping its axe, she took this as her cue. Tossing aside the scythe, she flung a fist towards its face, then her other, then the first again. While it was stunned she grabbed the scythe again and hacked it to pieces.

Satisfied with her mini victory she placed her scythe back in her belt. Wiping her hands she headed for the door, luckily, it opened easily. A long dark corridor greeted the girl, hurrying along it she arrived in a small cube-shaped room. The walls were coated with light yellow bricks that made the place appear golden. In the centre sat a golden chest, flinging open the lid the Gerudo smiled with delight.

"At last, I've found you." She took out a large oval shield, sharp diamonds lined the edges while a golden sun was stamped on the front in the middle of a crystal clear mirror. Gerudo legend told of this mystic shield that was even more powerful than the Mirror Shield. Lately, life had been rather dull for the girl, it was the same thing everyday, horseback archery training, hand to hand combat, thieving. She had never been interesting in the thieving side of being a Gerudo, how ironic considering now she was stealing from her own race. Clutching the shield she made her way back to the room.

"Where do you think you're going kid?" A stern voice sounded behind her. Spinning around she saw their leader, Nabooru.

"Q-Queen Nabooru." She stuttered, this wasn't good, being caught thieving from the Gerudos usually resulted in severe punishment. Looking the other way she saw the entrance she had climbed to, did she dare do it? Ignoring her leader she ran for the door, outside she gulped, she'd forgotten the small but very important detail of how high up they were. Nabooru was approaching, she had no choice. Closing her eyes she jumped from the ledge, flying through the air she placed the shield underneath her like a seat. Amazingly she landed safely on the ground, shield bouncing along the rough stone, a scraping noise screaming from it. Moving on to the desert sand, she picked the shield up and ran, clumps of sand being thrown behind her as her feet swiftly travelled through it. Entering the Haunted Wasteland she took out the map she'd also stolen, following the flagpoles back towards the fortress, she grinned, this was the beginning of a new adventure.

Nabooru stood on the ledge overlooking the colossus.

"You'll be back one day Amber, you'll be back."

-

The heat inside Death Mountain was almost unbearable. A young boy no older than sixteen dressed completely in red from head to toe was knocking on random walls near the Fire Temple area. While most Hylians would have been unable to handle the extreme heat from the volcano, the boy wasn't even sweating. After what seemed like hours of searching, the boy found what he had been looking for. Upon knocking on one of the walls, he had heard a hollow sound. "This has got to be it." He reached his hand back and withdrew a black bladed scimitar with diamonds embedded in the hilt. In one quick movement, he had slashed the wall and placed the blade back within its sheath. Suddenly, the wall opened revealing a new passageway. A gust of wind blew the boy's hat off revealing flaming red hair. He quickly grabbed his hat and put it back on.

Walking further into the passageway, the wall shut again leaving the boy in complete darkness. The boy sighed and pulled out a deku stick and lit it with a Din's fire spell. Another few minutes and he had reached a door at the end. Instead of the usual doorknob most doors had, this one had a slit just the right size for a sword. He took his Scimitar out once again and fit the blade into the slit. Turning it to the right, the door slowly raised. Removing his sword he continued to the next room. As he entered the next room, his deku stick burnt up. Looking around, he noticed what appeared to be a statue of the ancient dragon Volvagia in the centre.

A plaque was attached to the base of the statue. "The shining stone will be your key, one hit with your blade is all you need." He read aloud. "I wonder what that means." The statue began to shake. Suddenly, its tail whipped out and smacked him across the room. "Oof!" He grunted as he got up. "That was unexpected." Again the scimitar was drawn from its sheath. In a flash of light, the dragon was cut to pieces. The young man turned and headed to the door but was stopped when the dragon was in front of him again. The statue used its claws to slash away at the boy. He fell to the ground badly hurt. 'Maybe I am not meant to wield the power of Din...maybe I should give up and go home.' He thought to himself. The words of the plaque suddenly came back to him. 'A shining stone?' The dragon stalked around the room, waiting for him to get up. As it passed by, he caught a glimpse of a shining ruby in its tail. 'That has to be it!' He flipped to his feet avoiding both the claws and the tail of the statue as he brought his blade down hard on the tip of the tail.

As soon as he had the ruby, the statue stopped moving and a trap door opened beneath his feet. He fell down into a secret chamber and took out his map. "Weird...this room isn't on the map, I am never going to find the essence of Din down here." Before him stood a pedestal, on it was a statue of Din holding a sword with a black hilt and a blood red blade. "Well, a new weapon for me." He walked up to the statue and took the sword. As soon as he held it, the room went black and Din herself appeared before him.

"Greetings to you, sacred warrior of fire chosen by destiny to wield this sword. Tell me young one, what is your name?"

He blinked a few times before speaking. "I am Akai of the Kensei clan."

Din nodded. "This sword is Hellfire. Take it with you, it will be your most valuable tool. It contains a sacred power that will greatly aid you in your quest." The room grew bright again and Din had left.

"Well I guess I got me a new power. No clue what quest she is on about though." Akai placed the sheath on his back and walked out the newly opened door into the village of Kakariko.


	2. Plan of Action

**A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks to those of you who reviewed. Enjoy ch.2**

_Disclaimer: Neither of us own LoZ_

Zelda stood silently overlooking the path that lead into the market, or what was left of it. The smoke had finally died, her father had sent a team of guards down to help salvage things and clean up in general. The king himself was in the middle of a meeting with his most trusted advisors, they were trying to figure out what needed to be done. Of course, the princess knew exactly what needed to be done, without Link there was only one choice; find a new hero. However, she couldn't do this alone, closing her eyes she telepathically contacted each of the Sages. Saria, Link's childhood friend, being the Forest Sage she was able to leave her home at will. Darunia, leader of the Gorons, Link's sworn brother and the Sage of fire. Princess Ruto, princess of the Zoras, Link's….long time annoyance and Sage of water. Impa, the Shadow Sage, she was already in the castle. Finally was Nabooru, the cocky desert queen also known as the Spirit Sage. Zelda didn't feel the need to contact the Sage of light since he was restricted to the Light Temple.

Turning back into the castle, she waited in the sitting room with Impa. Shortly after her message had travelled around, the first Sage arrived in an orb of blue light. Princess Ruto stormed into the castle, head held high, walking with the airs of a spoilt princess. Entering the sitting room, she took a seat in one of the large scarlet armchairs without even waiting to be asked.

"So what's all the fuss about?" She demanded folding her arms.

"I think it best that we wait for the rest of the Sages to arrive before we begin." Zelda simply replied.

Soon enough all of them were present. Everyone was eager to hear what Zelda wanted to say. She quickly filled them in on the events in the market and how Link had gone on a private journey, to where, she had no idea.

"What?" Ruto growled. "Where has he gone? You!" She glanced at Saria, "you should know, being his best friend and everything!"

The green haired girl stared sadly at the floor, the usual cheerful sparkle in her sapphire eyes had vanished. It was true that she had known Link was going, but he hadn't said where or why. She felt offended that he didn't feel he could console in her. "I'm as much in the dark as the rest of you." She mumbled.

"Then what can we do?" Darunia asked.

"I say we do what the Gerudos do, we hold a tournament to pick out the strongest warriors." Nabooru contributed to conversation.

"Not a bad idea." Impa nodded, "we could hold it in the recently built town of Pelotrona near Lake Hylia. They have a lovely stadium."

"If we each spread the word over the next few days, we can set this up swiftly." Zelda stood in the centre of the room. "All in favour raise your hand." Every hand in the room went up, it was official.

* * *

Stepping out of the dim lighting of the temple and into the bright sunlight of Kakariko cause Akai to blink several times to try and adjust his eyes. The sounds of swords clashing caught his attention. Looking around, he noticed a young man about his age fighting with a girl a few years younger than him. Within a few moves, the girl was down on the ground. The boy picked up her sword and sheath and put it next to him with a rather large collection of swords.

"Is there nobody in this village who is strong enough to defeat me?" The boy called.

Akai walked up to the boy. "Do you find entertainment in picking on the weak?" He asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do." The boy replied.

Akai looked the boy over before carefully examining his sword. _That sword is made of high quality metal, and with his skills it is no wonder nobody has been able to beat him thus far._ He thought. "I will fight you. I will win too."

The boy stared at Akai for a minute before speaking. "I accept your challenge. However, what say we make this a bit more interesting?"

"What do you propose?" Akai asked as he drew his scimitar.

"Winner keeps the loser's sword."

The girl who had just lost tapped Akai on the shoulder. "Please sir, can you get my sword back? It means alot to me. My brother gave it to me before he died."

Akai smiled and patted her on the head. "If you lose, you also have to give me all the swords you have won. Unless you're a coward and just want to hand over your swords to me now."

"Okay! I agree to the terms. Now...prepare to lose!" They boy rushed at Akai holding his sword out in front of him.

Akai jumped into the air and landed behind the boy. "You have already lost. You lost the second you accepted my challenge." Akai's blade was pressed against the boy's neck.

The boy ducked, spun around, and knocked the scimitar from Akai's hands. "I do believe it is you who have lost."

Doing a few backflips, Akai landed next to his sword. Grabbing it, he rushed at the boy.

_This kid is good! He is the first one who has managed to last more than a few seconds against me. I guess it's time to pull out my secret technique. _The boy thought. Holding his sword straight up in the air, he began to chant something that sounded like a prayer.

This caused Akai to stop in his tracks. "Hey! What are you up to?" He shouted.

His opponent didn't respond, but just kept on chanting. His sword began to glow green.

A faint glow was comming from the newly acquired Hellfire which was now throbbing in it's sheath on Akai's back. "Weird. It is almost as if it wishes to be drawn." Reaching back, he removed the blade from it's sheath. To his surprise, the blade split into two seperate swords. "This is perfect. I always used three swords at home." Both new blades were glowing redish orange. Putting the hilt of one of the new swords into his mouth, he once again charged his foe and sliced him down.

"Uhn." Was all the boy could say.

After they boy was defeated, Hellfire became on blade again. Resheathing his swords, Akai went over and took the sword from his opponent. "Thanks. I get a new weapon now." Looking through the pile of swords, he found the girl's sword and handed it back to her. "Here you go. You be sure and keep it safe now."

She looked at Akai with grateful eyes. "Thank you very very much."

Akai gave her a thumbs up before starting to walk away. Just before he reached the exit, the girl caught up to him again.

"I was wondering, where are you going next?"

"Wherever I want pretty much." Akai responded.

"So, would it be ok if I came with you?" She asked.

Akai looked her over for a minute. She had shoulder length blonde hair with hazel eyes, she also wore a beautiful sky blue tunic. She had the build of a warrior but still looked feminine.

"Sure. If things get dangerous though, I will send you back here."

The girl nodded. "You are really strong. I heard there is a tournament comming up soon. It is to find the strongest warrior in Hyrule. In a few days in the town of Pelotrona. It is near Lake Hylia."

"Sounds like fun. What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't. I am Callie. It is nice to meet you..."

"Akai." He said.

"It is nice to meet you Akai." Callie said as she placed her sheath back at her side.

"Are you sure your parents don't mind you traveling?"

Callie nodded. "Yeah, they know I am going out of the city to train. I was going to be heading to the tournament too. Then that mean kid challenged me and took my sword."

"Alright, let's head out then."


	3. A Blinding Victory

**A/N:** **Sorry it took so long to get this chap out, but FGK and I have been busy with other things. Enjoy **

Amber ran so fast out of the Haunted Wasteland that she almost tripped over her own feet. Scurrying like a crazed squirrel along the dusty path, she winced when someone called to her.

"Amber where are you going? And what is that on your back?" It was a friend of hers who luckily didn't recognize the shield.

"Uh, I don't know what you're talking about. See you later!" The girl yelled before dashing out of the main gate. Hurrying to the bridge, she stopped for a breather. Her new weapon weighed a ton but she knew it would take time to get used to carrying it.

Stretching her arms, she decided to move on again before nightfall. Finally arriving at the border into Hyrule Field, she glanced around wondering where to go next. Not far from her location stood a small ranch, maybe she could borrow one of their horses since all the running was wearing her out.

Walking up the grassy slope, Amber admired the gradually setting sun, its orange glow blanketing the whole field. Heading into the ranch she looked around for someone.

"Hello? Anybody here?" She asked loudly, walking into the main field she spotted a young girl, long red hair cascaded down her back as she sang to the animals. Hearing footsteps approaching, she paused with her song.

"Hi there, I'm Malon, can I help you?"

"I was wondering if I could borrow one of your horses?" Amber asked, glancing around she noticed a few roaming happily about.

"That shouldn't be a problem, but first you must take a test to prove you can handle a horse." Malon winked, Amber stared blankly at the ranch girl. "If you can beat me in a race, I'll let you borrow one."

The Gerudo smirked, a little horse race would be no problem for her, all of those lessons in the burning sun would finally pay off. Leaning her shield against the barn wall Amber waited for Malon to select them some horses.

Malon brought over one of their usual light brown horses ready for the race. Mounting the animal, Amber guided it towards the start line.

"Okay, we'll do one lap around the track!" Malon announced. Counting them in, she shot off from the start with Amber close behind. A cloud of yellow dust flew up as the horse's hoofs pounded heavily in the dirt.

"I need to win this." Amber coughed, dust particles floating into her mouth and nose. Gripping the reins tightly, she urged the horse forward so her and Malon were now neck and neck. Rounding the final corner, both girls pushed their horses eagerly onwards. Amber grit her teeth, this would be a close one.

Suddenly, a bright flash came out of nowhere. Malon screamed in shock, pulling the horse to a stop, she covered her eyes from the blinding light. Since Amber was so used to the sun, she steered the horse casually over the finish line. Glancing at the barn, she noticed the evening sun had caught the shield causing the light to bounce off its surface.

"Looks like you win." Malon smiled bringing her horse over to Amber, "although what that light was I'll never know."

Amber grinned, the sun had moved past the shield now, Malon didn't need to know anything.

-----------------------------

With the shield safely on her back and a promise to Malon to return the horse when she was finished, Amber rode out of Lon Lon Ranch. Taking a moment to browse the scenery, she decided to head to Hyrule Market, having only been there once a few years ago she wanted to see if anything had changed. It was great to be able to ride so freely without a care in the world. The Gerudo were generally a goal driven race, everything had to be done for a reason, no one could just jump on a horse and roam around for their own pleasure. Amber was glad to be away from that lifestyle, for now.

Arriving at the drawbridge, she quietly slid off. Taking a few steps towards the market, she inhaled the thick smell of smoke that was still circulating the area. Covering her nose, Amber continued to walk further into the market, burnt houses and ash-stained floors seemed to be the new fashion.

Spotting a group of guards attempting to put out the last of the flames, she moved over to them.

"What happened here?" She asked taking her hand away from her face.

One of the guards explained the situation, leaving out some important parts since he didn't fully trust a random Gerudo. Seeing she had a few weapons he suggested she head to Pelotrona, most of the kingdom would be turning up there sooner or later.

"Not like I have anything better to do." Amber mumbled to herself as she remounted her horse. Turning to face the lake, she set the horse to a fast gallop, nightfall would be creeping in soon.

----------------------------------

The newly built Pelotrona was a magnificent place. Full of fresh new faces, new shops and most importantly to Amber; new interesting food to try. Taking her horse to the provided area, she thought it best to search for some sort of inn first.

Hordes of excited people littered the streets, all chatting loudly about the upcoming tournament. As Amber strolled past them, some gave her odd looks while others completely ignored her. Gerudos weren't the most popular people in Hyrule but she just shrugged it off.

Managing to find a humble inn at the end of one street, she was relieved to know they had a few rooms spare. Handing over the rupees, she made her way to a room for the night. Tomorrow would be a big day.

-----------------------------------

Shortly after leaving Kakariko village, the sun had gone down on the land of Hyrule, leaving Akai and Callie to fight off the stalchildren. Several had formed a close circle around the two causing them to be back to back.

"Callie, think you can take three or four of them?" Akai asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I can try. Are you trying to say you will take out the rest?"

"Yeah, I'ts only five or six. It shouldn't be too hard."

Taking her sword from its sheath, Callie sliced the closest one to her right down the middle. Spinning around, she knocked the heads off of two others. Meanwhile, Akai had placed his index and middle fingers on his sword blade and was chanting something Callie couldn't hear. Quickly finishing off the two headless stalchildren, she drove her sword into the skull of the last one killing it instantly. By this time Akai's sword had begun to glow a bright red.

"Kensei secret arts...number one. Searing Flames!!!" He called as fireballs shot from his sword and obliterated the remaining foes. After the attack, Callie ran up to Akai.

"You did it! Wow! That was cool! Hey...are you ok?" Akai looked rather pale after using the attack and he appeared to be having trouble standing.

"I'm fine, that attack just requires a lot of energy."

"I think we should rest here for the night Akai. To give you a chance to recover your energy."

"No. We need to keep moving." He had only taken a few more steps when he collapsed.

"And you need to rest." She insisted.

"I don't need rest."

Callie was starting to get impatient with Akai's tough-guy attitude. She grabbed him and dragged him a few feet to a pile of sticks. Taking a small red crystal from inside his tunic, she lit the sticks. "We're staying here tonight and that's final."

Sitting up, he sighed. "Fine. However, we are going to be moving again at first light. By the way would you mind giving my Din's fire spell back please?"

"Oh right. Here you go."

Akai took the crystal and put it back inside his tunic.

"So Akai, where do you come from?"

"It's a long story. Are you sure you want to hear it?'

Callie nodded. "I asked didn't I?"

"Alright. My family is from a distant part of Hyrule, however, I have called many places home over these years. Before I go on, you need to know that I come from a family of elemental mages. Anyways, about six years ago I went on a journey to the land of Holodrum. There I had hoped to find the temple of Din and gain a portion of her power in order to increase my own magic. However, I was without luck. I did find the Temple of Seasons and learned of another temple dedicated to the goddess Nayru in the land of Labrynna. I stayed in Holodrum for two years practicing to improve my magic, after which I set out for Labrynna. Again, I found only disappointment it was merely the Temple of Ages. I again stayed there for two years, practicing different kinds of sword fighting styles. I got word from one of my sisters that the temple that I sought was located somewhere in Hyrule. I have spent these last two years searching for it and today, I found it." Akai held up the Hellfire sword he had gotten from Din. "This weapon is the fruit of my labors and it was given to me by the goddess herself. I am still not sure of all its powers but I do know that it amplifies my own magical powers." He concluded.

"Wow! You are so lucky! You have traveled all over the land of Hyrule and even visited Holodrum and Labrynna. I wish I can go on a journey like that some day."

Akai smiled. He was beginning to like this girl, she was brave and strong and seemed to like adventures. "Well, we had better get some rest, remember we move out at first light." He lay down on the ground and fell asleep almost instantly.

Callie knew he was right. She nodded, curled up next to Akai, and fell fast asleep.


	4. A Fiery First Encounter

Akai yawned as he quickly stood up from the spot he had slept last night. Looking around, he noticed that the sun was just starting to rise. Reaching down, he gently shook Callie to wake her up. She slowly opened her eyes and noticed that it was Akai who was trying to wake her.

"Is it time to go already Akai?" She asked with a yawn.

Akai nodded and began to stretch as he walked away.

Callie jumped up and ran after him not wanting to get left behind.

After several hours of walking with only brief conversations between them, Akai and Callie finally arrived at Pelotrona. Already the town was busy with preparations for the tournament that would be taking place in a couple of days. Looking around, they spotted the registration booth for the tournament. On the way over to the booth, Akai collided with a Gerudo girl due to the fact that he was more focused on getting to register than watching where he was going. The resulting impact caused both parties to fall to the ground.

"Why don't you watch where you're going you clutz!" Akai yelled.

"Who are you calling a clutz, idiot! You banged into me!" Amber jumped up to brush herself off, being raised as a Gerudo meant she never let a man get the better of her.

Akai flipped back to his feet and glared at the Gerudo. "I was calling you a clutz you Ganondorf worshiper!"

"What!" Amber snarled, this punk was really starting to get on her nerves. That last comment made her blood boil, how dare he call her a worshipper of that pointy-nosed scumbag!

"You heard me clutz, now get out of my way, I have a tournament to sign up for." Akai shoved past an annoyed Amber who was close to sending a fist straight for his face until their argument was interrupted by a loud announcement.

"Sign-ups for the tournament will not begin until this evening, thank you for your cooperation." A speaker blared out above their heads.

Deciding there was no point wasting a punch on this loser, Amber strolled off into the town where a fair had been set up. Magically powered rides were dotted here and there, some for children while others were for everyone. The smell of sizzling hot dogs filled the girl's nose as she wandered over to the rides, she'd have to stop for some food later.

One ride in particular that caught her eye was a small square arena where people young and old were driving around in magically charged cars, some just drove pleasantly while others bumped into each other. Pelotrona had always been known for its advanced magic technology so having a go on these things would be a new experience.

Handing over the rupees, she was about to select a car when she saw that jerk also paying to get in. His little friend seemed to be waiting patiently for him outside, this would be her chance for revenge.

Jumping in a car, she waited for the rest of those who wanted a go to enter the arena. As soon as the ride began, she twisted the wheel of the car and slammed down the pedal. Ramming her way through a crowd in front of her, she zoomed in Akai's direction.

"Call me a Ganondorf worshipper will you!" She yelled, bashing her car violently into his.

"What the hell? Oh, it's you again, clutz. You are so dead!" Akai growled as he recovered from the bang. Swerving his car around, he slammed it into Amber's which went spinning across the arena. Crashing into an innocent Goron kid, she screamed with anger, this wasn't over yet!

Akai just laughed. "Take that you Gerudo clutz."

A burning fire suddenly flared up in her eyes, shoving into another innocent driver, Amber attempted to weave her way back over to a laughing Akai. Landing another direct hit, she smirked when he collided with Princess Ruto who ran out of the ride in tears after calling him a shameless pig.

It was obvious to anyone watching that Akai was now pissed off. His entire body exploded in flames as the other drivers rushed to get out of his way.

The fiery duo continued to ram and smash each other brutally, neither one would give in easily.

"I'll send you and your car flying out of this arena!" Amber screeched more determined than she'd ever been in a long time.

"You are going to regret the day you ever met Akai Kensei!!" He yelled aggressively.

Both smashed their cars against each other, neither car would budge back an inch.

"Alright, that's enough you little brats!" The ride owner shouted.

"What did you say!" Both yelled in unison, leaping out of their cars, they got up in his face with angry glares on their faces.

"You've driven away all my customers." The owner grumbled pointing to the arena.

Both teens turned to see the empty ride, they would have to settle for a draw, for now.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

After cooling off from the heated encounter, Amber discovered a mirror maze towards the back of the fair. Not having anything better to do, she strolled on in.

---

Shortly after the incident with Amber and the cars, Callie met up with a friend from her home town and ran off to go play with her while Akai had found a house of mirrors he thought may be good for a laugh.

Entering the maze, Amber glanced around, there were mirrors everywhere! On the walls, on the floor, even on the ceiling, the whole thing made her feel seriously dizzy.

"Watch you don't break a mirror, clutz." Akai grinned when he saw Amber. Although, if he was truthful, she didn't look half bad but he wasn't about to admit that to someone who just tried to kill him.

"The only way that'll happen is if I put my fist, or your head through one." Amber growled, was this joker following her or something?

"Just try it. I bet I can beat you to the finish." Akai initiated a challenge that the Gerudo would obviously accept.

"You're on!" Amber yelled, cracking her knuckles she ran one way while Akai took another. Turning a corner, she smacked straight into a mirror then another…and another….and one more until she reached the middle of the maze.

Arriving in the centre the same time, all Akai could see were images of himself and Amber everywhere. Hearing Amber mumbling how she was going to win, he smirked slyly, there was no way he was going to give her an easy time. Taking out his sword, he chanted something silently while aiming at what he thought was Amber's hair. Shooting several blasts of fire from the sword, he grinned as it flew towards her…that was until one bounced into the mirror he'd been aiming at, came flying back and smacked him right in the face causing him to tumble backwards.

"Having a little trouble?" Amber couldn't help laughing. Not watching the fire, she got a shock when it bounced off another mirror setting the tip of her hair alight. Running frantically around, she managed to put it out with a piece of cloth. "Alright, this means war." Dashing at mirror, she sent her fist violently into it; shards of glittering glass sprinkled everywhere as she continued to smash her way through the maze, gauntlets protecting her hands from any dangerous injuries.

Not wanting to get left behind, Akai began slicing the mirrors with his sword. Whatever this girl could do, he knew he could do it twice as good.

"What on all of Hyrule is going on here?" A stern voice asked from the entrance.

"None of your business punk." Akai replied without even looking to see who it was.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. By order of myself, Princess of Hyrule, I ask both of you to leave this attraction immediately." The mirror maze owner had called for the princess shortly after the smashing had begun. Watching the pair leave, she shook her head in disbelief at such a foul display of social behaviour.

Akai was now more ticked off then ever, first this Gerudo clutz had run into him, then she rammed the hell out of him in the bumper cars, then in the mirror house she started a mirror smashing competition that got them both thrown out. Sighing he decided that since it was starting to get late he should go get a bite to eat. Outside the resturaunt was the table for the tournament sign up, a sign above the door read: The Magic Bean Diner. Only tournament competitors allowed.

After signing up, Akai was given a card with his name and a number on it, and was told to show it to the people in the diner as proof that he was indeed a competitor. Entering, he heard an annoyingly familiar voice yelling at someone.

"What do you mean I can't have a table because I'm alone? This is discrimination!" Amber angrily shouted, she'd never lost her temper so much in one day.

"Calm down clutz, no need to yell at the nice waiter person. By the way, table for one please." Akai said holding up his tournament card.

"Are you deaf, or can you not count? Tables for one don't exist in this crummy junk-hole." Amber put her annoyed attitude down to the facts that she couldn't get anything to eat and now this guy was in the same place as her yet again.

Akai's eyebrow twitched at Amber's comment. "What...no...tables for one...?" He started, his voice uneven as he tried to keep his cool but to no avail. "How the hell are we supposed to eat then?"

"I am sorry sir, but we only have tables for two or more here." The waiter replied in a calm voice, not at all intimdated by the two teens yelling at him.

"Why the hell is that?" Both teens yelled.

"It is under the orders of Princess Zelda, for the tournament, this rule is in place so that the competitors will be able to get to know each other and foster friendship between them so that the battles in the tournament will not be fought in bad blood." He explained.

Akai grabbed the man by the collar and pulled him closer. "Listen up, because I'm only going to say this one more time. Table for one."

"Security!" The man called.

Two Gorons rolled from behind the counter and grabbed Akai. "Calm down now kid." They said.

"Grrr let me go you oversized paperweights!!" Akai demanded as he struggled against them.

Amber coldnt't bear to watch the poor Gorons struggling to hold the guy back anymore, removing one of her gauntles, she slapped him hard across the face. "Quit being such a baby."

"Alright that's it!!! You are dead clutz!!!" He screamed as he broke free of the Gorons.

"Listen up idiot, if we don't sit together, neither of us will get to eat!" The Gerudo reasoned as she protected herself with her shield.

Akai's stomach began to growl. Sighing he slowly nodded, knowing the Gerudo was right. "Table for two then." He said in a defeated voice.

Walking over to the table, both teens removed their weapons and set them down on the floor. Jumping over the table, Akai pulled Amber's chair out for her. Enemy or not, Akai was raised a gentleman. Eyeing the pulled out chair, Amber cautiously sat in it wondering why he'd done that. Peering down at the weapons, she noticed that one of Akai's sword as well as her shield were both glowing a light shade of red. "Odd..." She mused to herself. "That's a nice sword you have there, Akai," she grinned at his surprised expression. "You yelled your name out when we were trying to kill eachother on the bumper cars, remember? I'm Amber."

"Thanks...I think...though I must say your shield is quite interesting and looks quite familiar to me." He replied.

For the next few minutes, the two sat in awkward silenece until the waiter appeared with the menu, food being the only thing on their minds for the time being.


	5. Training Begins

**A/N: Hi everyone, Hyrulian Hero Akai here. Sorry to those of you who were waiting for an update, Forest Girl Kaz and I got really busy with life and our own fics. We will try to update again soon. No promises though.**

Finishing her meal first, Amber made an excuse to leave as quickly as possible. Sure, she and that Akai guy weren't at each other's throats right then but she didn't want to stay and hang around until his mouth wasn't full of food. Picking up the shield, she made a swift exit before Akai had a chance to say anything; leaving the boy to pay for all of the food on his own.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Akai yelled after her but it was no good, Amber had disappeared into the busy streets of the town.

Grabbing his swords from the floor, Akai rushed towards the door only to be stopped by the angry Gorons who shoved him back into the café.

"Someone must pay goro!" They insisted.

"But I only have enough for my own food," Akai said, taking out enough rupees for himself.

"That is not good enough. To the kitchens, goro!" Each of the Gorons took one of the protesting boy's arms and started dragging him in the direction of the kitchen.

"Let me go before I do something you regret!" Akai shouted, struggling against the strength of both Gorons.

Dragging the screaming boy into the café kitchens, the Gorons led him over to the sink where stacks of dirty dishes were waiting to be cleaned.

"Once you have cleaned these dishes then you can go," They told him, pulling him over to a bowl full of water.

"I don't think you heard what I just said," Akai growled. His entire body was starting to heat up with anger.

"Our new little brother is getting very hot, goro. Let us cool him down a little." the biggest Goron insisted. Without warning, he pushed Akai face-first into the bowl.

"That clutz is so gonna pay for this when I find her," Akai spat out a mouthful of water.

* * *

The next morning Akai awoke to the sun shining brightly through the window of his room. Yawning, he slowly got out of bed, stretched, and made his way over to the window. The sun was just barely visible above the horizon. It was perfect, just the way he had planned it the night before when he had rented this room. He had insisted on a room facing the east so that he would be able to view the rising sun come morning. Everything was going perfect and according to plan, he quickly changed out of the clothes he had been wearing the night before and into a training outfit. He took a deep breath and jumped out of his window to the ground a few feet below.

It was time for him to begin his usual daily training exercises, which he preferred doing in the early morning before the sun fully rose to avoid people and other annoyances that might distract him. Taking another deep breath of the fresh morning air, he set off towards the waterfall at the far side of the lake. The first thing he preferred to do in the morning was his mental exercises, for that he usually sat under the waterfall at Zora's Domain and meditated there for a little over an hour or so; however seeing as how the Zora's Domain was a good day and a half of travel away he decided that the waterfall here that flowed down from the Gerudo Valley would have to do, even though the water flow from it was not quite as intense as he would prefer it to be. Taking a seat on a flat rock just under the waterfall, he positioned himself so the water would flow directly onto his head, he then crossed his legs, closed his eyes and began his meditation. He was only a few minutes into the meditation when his thoughts were interrupted as images of Amber; the Gerudo girl he had met yesterday flashed through his mind. The more he tried to let go of the images of her and clear his mind, the more vibrant and vivid they became; it was beginning to annoy him greatly due to the fact that he did not know why this freak of a girl kept popping into his mind. Was it because he was so close to the Gerudo Valley that he was just picking up on their energy somehow, and since Amber was the only Gerudo he really could put a face to other than Nabooru, she was the one that appeared in his mind? Was it because he was still -- even though he didn't want to admit it -- mad at her for what had happened the previous night, or was there some other reason… perhaps one he did not want to admit to himself? It wasn't possible, was it? No, it couldn't be, and of course it wouldn't be; Akai was a warrior, he didn't have time for such trivial things like love and crushes and whether or not someone was cute or not. Getting up from his spot under the waterfall, Akai shook his head, trying to clear the images away, but to no avail. His master had always taught him it was unwise to dwell on the past which he was unable to change, but this time, he felt like he was failing.

"Why does this girl haunt my thoughts?' He wondered as he left the waterfall to start his next exercise; he could not concentrate on meditation while Amber, for reasons beyond his control, was inside his head causing him to lose his focus.

His next order of business was usually to take five laps around Hyrule Field. Again though, since he didn't really feel like going back out to Hyrule Field this time and since all of the belongings he had brought with him were back at the Inn, he didn't want to stray too far so he decided to take ten laps around Lake Hylia on land, and ten laps swimming around the lake; which in his mind was almost equal to five laps around the field.

A little over an hour later, he set off towards the scarecrow patch for his next tasks; sword training and elemental training. Upon arriving he took out a plain black wooden ocarina from his pocket and began to play a song. Once the song was completed, a scarecrow popped up out of the ground. "Hiya Akai, been a while since I saw ya, how've ya been?"

"Not too bad Pierre. Been busy with other training in Holodrum and Labrynna, so this is my first time back in Hyrule in a while."

"Right then, are you ready to get down to some training?" Pierre asked.

"Do I ever call you just to talk?" Akai responded, forming fireballs in his hands.

"Mage training first then huh? Ok." Without warning, Pierre popped out of the ground and began jumping around. "Hit me if you can!"

Smirking, Akai began to shoot the fireballs rapidly towards Pierre who easily jumped out of the way.

"Come on Akai! Is that the best you can do? I thought you were training all this time!" Pierre taunted.

A few more fireballs from Akai and a few more taunts from Pierre later, Akai was breathing hard.

"Seems to me you've gotten worse in your time away." Pierre pointed out.

"Damn scarecrow! I call you to train and all you do is tick me off! It's no wonder I haven't called you in ages!" Akai shouted, forming one giant fireball in his hands.

At seeing this, the scarecrow seemed slightly less cheerful. "Come on now Akai… you know I was just kidding right? Buddy?" It asked, jumping back a few feet.

"Oh no, you've done it now," Akai smirked. "Kensei secret arts…number five…Erupting…Fireball…Shot!" He launched the giant ball of fire towards the scarecrow, just before it hit, it broke into hundreds of smaller fireballs and scattered in all directions on the wind before coming back and landing just a couple of inches from where Pierre was hopping in place; he looked like he was about to fall over. "Next time, don't get so cocky." He said, grinning.

"Ok, yeah, I think that's enough mage training for you today Akai." Pierre said, trying to regain its composure after Akai's devastating attack. "Draw your sword!"

"If you say so," He responded, removing his sword from its sheath. "En garde!" Jumping into the air, he slashed downward towards the scarecrow who easily jumped out of the way.

"You gotta do better than that if you want to hit me Akai."

"Alright, how about this then?" Igniting the tip of his sword, he began to spin around in a circle rapidly, causing a tornado of fire to form around him. "Hellfire Tornado!"

The flame tornado came closer and closer to the scarecrow, even as he tried to get away from it. "Okay! I give, I give!"

Immediately the tornado stopped in its tracks and dissipated. "Aw, but I was just starting to have fun." Akai said, faking a sad face and a disappointed voice.

"If you keep trying to light me on fire I swear I will stop answering your calls when you want to train!" Pierre said, disappearing back into the ground.

Sighing and wiping the sweat from his brow, Akai headed back towards the hotel. Just before he got to the door, someone punched him in the side of his face and sent him crashing to the ground. He got up slowly, rubbing the spot where he had been hit. "Oh, you made a bad move." Spinning around to see who had hit him, Akai noticed it was the boy he had defeated back in Kakariko Village. "I see how it is; you can't beat me in a head on fight, so you gotta attack me from the side or the rear. You are indeed a coward."

The boy glared at Akai. He had black short cut hair and wore a deep green shirt and blue pants. "I demand my sword back. Either give it to me, or there will be more pain where that came from." He said in an icy voice, glaring at Akai.

"Ooooh, aren't we the demanding one today. As for your sword, I don't see why I should give it back. You bet it on our match and I won it fair and square. See, I'm not in a particularly good mood today. Ever since I got here, I've been being stalked by this Gerudo freak and already she's gotten me banned from two attractions, and left me with the bill at a restaurant. But if you really wanna fight, I'd be more than happy to take out some of my frustration on you." Akai said, cracking his knuckles, after which his fists burst into flames.

The boy took a few steps back, obviously a bit unnerved by Akai's little display. "You haven't heard the last of me!" He shouted, running away.

"Oh darn, and here I was hoping to have some fun this morning." He shrugged, entered the hotel and returned to his room. Not long after he returned, a rather large hawk flew in through the open window in his room and landed on the bed.

Akai sighed. "What's up Gale? Did Lilly send you to tell me to come home, because if so, you can just go back and tell her I'm not coming."

Gale simply turned around to reveal a container on its back.

Opening the container, Akai found a letter within as well as a silver pendant on a metal chain. The pendant itself was shaped in the shape of the Essence of Nature 'Blowing Wind'. Opening the letter, Akai began to read.

_Dear Akai, I heard from a friend of mine that you are entered in the tournament taking place in Pelotrona in a few days. That's so cool! I just know you are going to win the whole thing and come back home as the greatest warrior in all of Hyrule! Mom and I are both rooting for you, so do your best!  
Lilly_

_P.S. Enclosed with this is a pendant I have made. Consider it a good luck gift from me._

'It would seem it was just the opposite. Lilly wants me to win. Not like I wouldn't have won anyways, but it's good to know my family is in my corner.' Akai thought, slipping the pendant over his head and tucking it beneath his shirt.

By now Gale had left and Akai hopped back onto the bed.

'I'll just wait in here for a few more hours and then once everything is open, I'll go out and check out all the stuff I didn't get a chance to see yesterday because of that freak.' He thought, and once again he took up a meditative position.

* * *

Wandering the morning streets of the town, Amber smirked to herself when she thought about the night before. The look on Akai's face when she left without paying was priceless, it would serve him right for calling her a clutz! She had to admit that she did feel a little bad for him though, but not enough to actually care. Arriving in the centre of town near the stadium, she noticed people entering it with various weapons.

"Hey, what's going on here?" She asked the nearest person who just happened to be the boy who had tried attacking Akai in the hotel earlier that morning.

"Entrants in the tournament are allowed to come do some training in the stadium, but I wouldn't bother if I were you, Gerudos aren't welcome here girlie so why don't you go back to where you came from?"

"How about you shut that hole in your face and get out of my way!" Amber shoved past the boy, almost knocking him over in her temper.

Entering the stadium, she noticed an archery range at the far end so decided to get some aiming practice in before her first match. Picking up one of the bows available to borrow, she placed an arrow in it and was about to aim when she heard snickering coming from that boy again. Turning to face him with the arrow ready, she let her annoyance get the better of her and shot. The arrow narrowly missed the laughing boy, soaring across the stadium and landing less than an inch above the head of someone who had just entered. Reaching up, the young man pulled the arrow out of the wall and snapped it in half, a look of anger on his face.

"You're going to pay for that, clutz!" Akai yelled. "And for your half of last night's bill too!"


End file.
